Csaba Nemes

The series of paintings portray some of the remarkable 19th and early 20th century buildings erected in Central Europe. These public buildings all look like mosques: the Zaherlfabrik in Vienna (built in 1888‒1892; its facade was decorated by Zsolnay Factory), Yenidze Factory in Drezden (built in 1907‒1909), which was a tobacco factory in its active time and the Elephant House in the Budapest Zoo (built in 1912; its facade was also decorated by Zsolnay Factory).

In the garden of the former ceramics factory Zsolnay Quartier (Pécs), where I started my research, there is a column decorated with Persian motifs. This object was designed for Zaherlfabrik in Vienna, which was producing „Persian Powder” (for protection from insects). These buildings with oriental style used Islamic cultural references as curiosity in order to „sell” their „products” which seems to be very weird idea from our postcolonial perspective.

What do these pseudo mosques represent today in our societies when the flow of refugees moves from the Orient towards Europe? Are we aware of the still existing use and abuse of culture of other nations due to colonialism and expansive capitalism and their heritage? How does raising nationalism all around Europe change our attitude to other cultures?

The paintings mix the „oriental” motifs with references (composition, perspective, colours and brushstroke) to European styles, like romanticism, classicism and realism refering to the socio-political and artistic understanding of Orient from Central European perspective which have had its own „orientalism” without having any oriental colonies.